Irish Water is to invest €228 million in upgrading water and wastewater infrastructure in Cork.

The wastewater network is to undergo a €180m upgrade, while a further €48m will be spent on improving drinking water quality and supply.

The Cork Lower Harbour Main Drainage Scheme will provide a new wastewater treatment plant to serve Cobh, Carrigaline, Crosshaven, Passage West/Monkstown (including Glenbrook and Raffeen) and Ringaskiddy (including Shanbally and Coolmore).

Work is underway at the Shanbally site where the new facilitiy will begin treating wastewater in 2016, with the aim to be fully operational by 2018.

In addition, construction has begun on a new wastewater treatment plant at Youghal as part of a €22.9m investment in the Youghal Main Drainage Project, including an upgrade of the sewer network.

The facility will be completed in 2017.

A further €7m is being spent on an infrastructure project to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant at Clonakilty and carry out minor upgrades of 13 other wastewater treatment plants, ranging in size from larger plants at Bantry to smaller plants in Ardgroom and Kilmacsimon.

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Upgrade works at the Clonakilty plant include a doubling of the treatment capacity and utilising new Nereda® technology in the UK and Ireland.

A wastewater treatment plant at Carrigtohill is also receiving a €12.3m upgrade to increase its capacity.

A €1.1m project to build a new wastewater treatment plant at Riverstick has been completed, while a further €3m was invested in upgrading the wastewater treatment plant in Ballincollig.

Further wastewater projects with an estimated total value of €50m are at planning and design stage for towns across Cork.

Irish Water is also investing €15.8m into upgrading the water mains of Cork City, with the first phase of works to be complete by February 2017.

Upgrades and replacement of water mains has also been completed in Mallow, Kinsale, Laharan Cross to Abbeys Well, Glantane to Lombardstown, Macroom and Doneraile.

A further €33m is to be invested to upgrade the drinking water quality and supply in Cork.

This includes:

• €5m investment to upgrade Lee Road Water Treatment Plant and remove it from the Environmental Protection Agency Remedial Action List (RAL)

• €2.5m investment on the Wilton to Lee Road Trunk Watermain

• €2.5m investment in replacement of the Shankiel rising main, both upgrades are critical to ensuring security of water supply for Cork City

• €5m investment to secure a sustainable drinking water supply and upgrade of the water network on Cape Clear. 

• €12m investment in the Skibbereen Regional Water Supply project to address water quality issues in Schull, Leap, Baltimore, Drimoleague and Skibbereen.

• €6m investment in the upgrade of the Inniscarra Water Treatment Plant to provide adequate water sludge treatment facilities.

Jerry Grant, Head of Asset Management at Irish Water, said: "Fixing the water and wastewater network to ensure our communities have clean safe drinking water and are protected from the discharge of untreated sewage will take many years of investment and a prioritised and continuous programme of work.

"We are already making progress against the targets set out from now until 2021 with further investment planned beyond this timeframe."

(LM)